This Saturday will be a celebration of my 15 year High School Reunion. I have been working with a classmate on planning the event and offering ideas. This will not be a typical reunion as it is also a fund raiser for another Classmate, Becky, who’s family has been going through a very difficult battle with Cancer. First Becky had cancer and then her husband Mike got cancer. Mike has had more treatments than I could ever count and on top of that his Cancer has gone away only to come back stronger and nastier than before. I’ve been reading the family journal and I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for the Machinski family.

One of the goals I have for the 15 year reunion was to sell 100 calendars to raise $200.00 for the family. With Each calendar sold I would make $2.97, I was going to use the $0.97 to buy an iPod for the silent auction that we are having during the Reunion. I’ve sold 12 calendars. I’ve also gotten $79.00 in donations. I haven’t reached my goal and I’m not sure where to turn. The reunion is this coming Saturday and I would like any and all help from my readers to help me raise that last $290.00 for the Machinski family. Becky and Mike will be at the reunion and I don’t want to disappoint them with failure.

How can you, my great readers help? You can write a post directing people to http://www.benspark.com/2008calendar.html Talk about how the money will be used and how it will benefit the Machinski Family. Please help. Thank you.

I would like to point out great linky love to Joana of Nanashi-Inc who gave me a free ad on her sidebar out of the blue. Thanks so much Joana.

Donate if you don’t want a calendar	Buy a calendar if you would like one

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

My 15 Year High School Reunion is Saturday…

You might have noticed a bit of a color change around here. I decided to go Pink for October. Breast Cancer awareness is important to me as well as to Allison. We decided to get out blogs into a pink theme for the month of October. I learned about this project through Joana of Nanashi-Inc.net. So if you want to show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness for the month of October set your theme to Pink. It was easy to do for my Blogger blogs but I’ve made so many edits to this one that I changed around some colors.

Even though it is Breast Cancer awareness month, I have a project of my own to help raise money for a family whose whole lives has been affected by Cancer. I created a 2008 Photo-A-Day Calendar and I am giving 2/3 of the profits to the Machinski Family. My goal is to sell 100 calendars before November 24th and raise $200.00 to give to the Machinski family. Becky Machinski was a classmate of mine in High School and both she and her husband have both battled Cancer. Becky’s Cancer is gone but her husband Mike is still battling Cancer and it has depleted their savings. I can’t imagine how tough this has been for them but they are a strong couple with three beautiful little girls. You can see the love that they have for each other and they are working very hard to stay positive and to stay financially above water. So during the month of October while you go Pink think about maybe helping donate to the Machinskis by buying a 2008 Photo-A-Day calendar or donating directly through my PayPal donation button specifically created for the money I am donating to the Machinskis.

Donate if you don’t want a calendar	Buy a calendar if you would like one

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Going Pink for October…

I took a cue from the awesome Mark Eccleston and made my own 2008 calendar through LuLu.com. I am selling them for $15.00 each.

Why that much? Well, Lulu production is $11.29 each, then Lulu also takes a $0.74 commission per calendar. I get $2.97 per calendar. However I am donating $2.00 The whole $2.97 from each calendar to help The Machinski Family.

Becky Machinski went to high school with me, she got cancer and recovered, her husband Mike has cancer and is still in recovery, he has had 120 radiation treatments! with all that time treating cancer the money that they had dwindled to nothing. The family needs some financial help. Mike and Becky have 3 beautiful daughters and they have all sacrificed so much and need some financial help.

My High School Reunion is November 24th and on that day I would like to present the Machinski’s with a check for $200.00 $300 from the sales of these calendars. My goal is to sell 100 calendars by November 24th.

Can you help me do that?

Will you spread the word to all your blogging friends and family?

Here are the images that make up the calendar. Click for larger images.

Also, it has been brought to my attention that some people would not like a calendar but would like to donate anyway, so I set up this paypal donate button. Please donate if you are so inclined.

Donate if you don’t want a calendar	Buy a calendar if you would like one

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Buy a Photo-A-Day 2008 Calendar

Welcome John Chow Readers

Please visit this link for the information on how to participate. The post below is about the family I have been trying to help.

I was contacted by my High School a couple of days back to participate in a phone-a-thon. Apparently they didn’t get the memo that I am not the class liaison any longer. Not a big deal. I let them know and they told me that I should get in touch with a former classmate about the 15 year reunion. So I did and now I am helping with the reunion. It was pretty crazy planning it 5 years ago and I wasn’t quite sure that I wanted to get back into the fray. But when Allie told me about why she is planning it I had to jump in with both feet.

Another former classmate of mine Becky is having a very difficult time. She has three beautiful kids and a great husband. Becky had cancer and it is currently in remission. Now her husband has cancer and their health insurance provider will not cover them any longer. The constant doctor’s appointments and treatments for both Becky and Mike have taken a toll on their finances. And Mike’s cancer is pretty bad. Becky and Mike keep a journal on Mike’s battle with cancer and through reading the entries I can see that they are staying positive and trying everything they can to beat this disease. It has been a long battle with Cancer for the Machinski Family that began in 1999. So for nearly ten years the threat of cancer has been hanging over the heads of the Machinski Family. I’ve been reading the journal and can see the love that the family has for each other and that has made them so very strong in this fight. But some financial support would go a long way to help ease some of their worries so they can concentrate on fighting Mike’s cancer.

What does this have to do with the reunion. Well, since Allie took the job of planning the reunion she is going to also set it up as an opportunity to raise some money for Becky and her family. We are looking into the possibility of a silent auction during the reunion and using donated items for the prizes in the auction. Already between Allie and I we have come up with quite a few items but we need even more to make this a decent silent auction. That is beginning to shape up nicely however, the reunion is going to be around Thanksgiving and Becky’s family needs help now. Donations can be made through the Family Journal and you can also help Becky out by making a purchase of jewelry from Becky’s online store. The site is called Hope Creations. I am adding a permanent link to my sidebar to the site. Becky makes handcrafted jewelry and sells it at her store in Palmerton, Pennsylvania but if you cannot make it there you can still shop at Hope Creations Online. You can also help by sending a direct donation to the Machinski family at this address.

Mike Machinski
70 Ridgeview Drive
Lehighton, Pa 18235

Visit Hope Creations Online

If you would like to make a donation for the silent auction for the 15 year reunion please contact me. Thanks.

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

Help the Machinski Family

This was originally posted by Allison

As many of you may know, I have been involved with ChemoAngels since November of last year. ChemoAngels is a program that matches Chemotherapy patients up with people who send notes, letters and gifts in an effort to cheer them up and make their treatment and illness as comfortable and positive as possible.

My Buddy is a woman with Breast Cancer who lives in York, PA. While we were in Harrisburg for Elise’s wedding, we met with my buddy, Lisa, for breakfast. It was so wonderful to finally meet the person I have been writing to for the last nine months and hear that she is well, her most recent surgery returned positive results and she may be graduating from the ChemoAngels program soon!

She brought me a beautiful crystal cube with an Angel etched inside and thanked me for helping her through her treatment. It was so very sweet of her.

If you’d like to make a difference to Cancer Patients or Housebound/Nursing Home-Bound Elderly folks, please check out the ChemoAngels web page for more information.

Lisa and me after breakfast

I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon.com. If you do please buy through our links and help support BenSpark.com. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2010 Blog Consultant, Photo-A-Day Photographer & Daddy Blogger - BenSpark.com - Everyday Pictures... Every... Day

I Met My ChemoBuddy!!